Fujian Anxi is the birthplace of Oolong tea and the origin of the famous Tieguanyin variety. The people of Anxi have capitalized on their strengths by developing the tea industry, ranking among the top in the country in terms of tea plantation area, tea production, and per capita tea income. However, this major tea-producing county once lacked a large-scale trading market, preventing direct transactions between tea farmers and buyers from home and abroad, making it difficult to sell tea.
In 2000, with assistance from the Fujian provincial government, Anxi County raised 120 million RMB through auctions and leasing, primarily from domestic and overseas sources, to build the China Tea Capital – Anxi National Tea Wholesale Market. After its construction, trading activity increased, and tea farmers' incomes Rose as well.
Tea farmers picking tea. Photograph by Chen Guoping
The key to industrialization is marketization. To that end, Anxi not only built the China Tea Capital but also established other national and regional wholesale markets and trading centers like the China Specialty City and China Tea Expo, which have been designated as “designated markets” by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs and awarded titles such as “key tea market” and “capital of a hundred tea trades” by the China Tea Marketing Association.
In recent years, with the development of the internet, Anxi has promoted a sales model combining online stores, physical retail, and third-party oversight, actively expanding into e-commerce. Currently, the county's e-commerce sales exceed 10 billion RMB, accounting for one-fourth of the nation's total tea e-commerce sales, making it the largest county-level tea e-commerce base in the country.
Tea trading scene. Photograph by Yan Yan
Quality assurance is essential for market assurance. Anxi has constructed 200,000 mu of ecological tea gardens and pioneered a nationwide platform for agricultural supply regulation and logistics tracking. It has also developed a quality safety system and traceability system for tea, ensuring quality management throughout every link of the tea industry. In addition, Anxi has harnessed technology to empower the tea industry, launching satellites named “Anxi Tieguanyin No.1” and “Anxi Tieguanyin No.2,” and creating a series of intelligent platforms like “Digital Tea Industry,” all aimed at ensuring the quality of tea.
In 2023, Anxi Tieguanyin ranked first in brand value in China, with a value of 143.244 billion RMB, for the fourth consecutive year. It has also held the top spot among tea category regional brands for eight consecutive years.
Buying and selling a hundred types of tea, buying and selling across the country, today's China Tea Capital is not only an important distribution center for Anxi Tieguanyin but also a hub for various tea categories from around the country. Every year, 300,000 tons of various teas are sold from Anxi, accounting for one-tenth of the nation's total tea production, leading in county-level trade volume, achieving a transition from the excellence of a single “leaf” to the flourishing of a hundred teas.
Production and staging of the tea culture-themed play “Tieguanyin.”
The tea culture-themed play “Tieguanyin.”
During this time, the Anxi County Discipline Inspection and Supervision Commission has implemented the concept of integrating tea culture, tea industry, and tea science. They have focused on the implementation of tea industry policies, financial support, the entire industrial chain, and urgent needs of tea farmers, establishing a “combined and divided” supervision mechanism. They conduct process-oriented and thorough supervision at different levels and regions, working together to promote high-quality development of the tea industry.
“Enriching the people with a single leaf,” driven by the tea industry, other industries such as rattan iron crafts, photovoltaic electronics, digital media, and high-end equipment have flourished. Traditional industries have sprouted anew, while emerging industries have grown strong, enabling Anxi to forge a path of high-quality economic development with distinct local characteristics.